Solange lifts a device the size of an iPhone in the air as she unlocks her car. “This is an electric stimulator. It’s actually for physical therapy, but you can use it to simulate the pain of contractions so a person can experience parts of the birthing process as their partner does.”

“I’m sorry,” I say, shaking my head. “Did you time travel and become a medical doctor when I wasn’t looking?”

She rolls her eyes at me. “Natalia’s the expert. She just filled me in.”

With Natalia’s overnight bag hanging from my shoulder, I rush to help the expectant mother into the passenger seat.

“It’s no big deal, Dean,” Natalia says. “You just attach these electrodes to your stomach, and I press a few buttons to mimic what I’m feeling. Bingo, bango, that’s it.”

“Why can’t you do it?” I ask Solange, whose full-toothed grin isn’t fooling me.

She rattles her car keys. “Can you drive a stick shift?”

“No.”

She looks . . . relieved. “Well, there’s your answer.”

We climb into the car—me in the back and Natalia in the front because she needs the extra legroom—and Solange starts the engine.

Natalia settles into the seat, fastens her seat belt, then groans before turning her head to face me. “About the stimulator: It’ll help me get through this, okay? But if you don’t want to do it, no problem. I understand it may be daunting for some.” She closes her eyes and breathes out. “That’s another one. We should start timing them again.”

I’m not a man who can be easily egged into a situation by the suggestion that I’m wimpy. So if that’s Natalia’s angle, it’s a wasted effort.

She drops her head and whimpers. “God, I wish Paulo were here. This isn’t how I thought this day would go.”

Now that’s the kind of sentiment I can’t ignore. “Give me the device.”

Natalia turns around again, her expression noticeably brighter. “You’ll do it?”

“Yeah, I’ll do it.”

A few minutes later, I’m wearing four electrodes on my abdomen and two electrodes on my back; six wires tether me to the device in Natalia’s lap, leaving me at her mercy. I’ve never met the man, but Paulo owes me big-time for this.

“Okay,” Natalia says. “So the next time I have a contraction, I’ll hit the dial. Let me know if you need me to stop. And, Dean?”

“Yeah?”

“This is already distracting me, so I’d say it’s working.”

“Glad I could help, Natalia,” I say, sitting back.

“We’ll be there soon, you two,” Solange notes. “You’re doing great.”

“Here’s the next contraction,” Natalia says. “Dean, take a deep breath in as it starts, then slowly release and focus on a mental image of your body suspended in water.”